The present invention relates to a method of connecting chassis parts, and to a chassis assembly comprised of connected chassis parts.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
Many frame elements as well as chassis elements are connected together in the automobile industry through thermal joining processes. To reduce weight of motor vehicles, the frame and chassis elements are partly or entirely configured as hollow sections and welded together, in part with cast nodes as connection element. Thermal joining, such as welding, causes however problems in the connection zone as far as durability and corrosion resistance of the connection are concerned. In addition, stress is caused in the components in the joining area as a result of warping due to heat exposure. This decreases the strength of the frame and the chassis at the connection sites so that the overall strength of the chassis deteriorates. Also, the combination of various materials, such as aluminum and steel is rather limited when using thermal joining processes.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to address prior art shortcomings and to provide a connection of chassis parts to produce a chassis assembly capable to transmit tensile and pressure forces and to withstand torsional and bending stress.